Everton have been linked with a potential swap deal involving Dwight McNeil and Crystal Palace's Brennan Johnson
Brennan Johnson of Crystal Palace and Dwight McNeil of Everton
Brennan Johnson of Crystal Palace and Dwight McNeil of Everton
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Just over six months on from his transfer collapsing on deadline day of the winter window, Everton’s Dwight McNeil could be on his way to Crystal Palace again in a swap deal for Brennan Johnson.
McNeil was set to join Palace on loan for the rest of the season with an obligation for a £20m summer switch only for the south London club to pull the plug at the 11th hour with the 26-year-old’s partner Megan Sharpley taking to social media to hit out at how the confusion had left them “broken-hearted” and “hurt more than I can say.”
But the former Burnley winger could yet head to Selhurst Park with Johnson – who only signed for the Eagles from Tottenham Hotspur for a club-record £35million in January – moving in the opposite direction to Merseyside.
With talks between the Premier League clubs progressing just how did McNeil and Johnson compare though last season? Comparisonator’s Me2Others tool allows us to go head-to-head with their statistics.
When it comes to Artificial Intelligence Points, based on league weights, positional difficulties and team quality applied in 378 parameters, the Everton man is given the higher score, 159 to 132.
McNeil rates higher for offensive (51.15), defensive (25.61 to 22.87) and duels (29.99 to 24.31) although Johnson gets the nod for passing (47 to 37.92) and physical performance (376 to 362).
Here is a breakdown of some key numbers divided into individual categories...
Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil's overall Artificial Intelligence performance scores for Crystal Palace and Everton last season
Brennan Johnson and Dwight McNeil's overall Artificial Intelligence performance scores for Crystal Palace and Everton last season
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Physical
McNeil covered more distance per 90 minutes (10.283km to 9.799km). However, with Johnson having the edge for distance per minute (190m to 184m) and with maximum speeds of 35.04km/h and 33.82km/h, he was quicker.
Offensive
Perhaps surprisingly, Johnson – who hit 18 goals in all competitions in his first season at Spurs in 2024/25 to finish as the club's top scorer – really struggled in this area. McNeil had a slightly higher expected goals (xG), with 0.1 to 0.07, while also recording better scores for shots (1.63 to 0.45); shots on target (0.43 to 0.3) and successful dribbles (0.85 to 0.6) although Johnson made more progressive runs (1.81 to 1.28).
Defensive
A mixed bag here with McNeil recording more ball recoveries (4.68 to 2.57), but Johnson making more interceptions (3.32 to 2.91) and clearances (1.96 to 0.71).
Passes
Another area of pros and cons. McNeil made more passes (25.3 to 17.67) and successful passes (19.84 to 11.02) but Johnson put in more crosses (3.02 to 2.2) and successful crosses (0.91 to 0.78).
Duels
McNeil contested more duels (15.09 to 10.87) and won more (6.28 to 4.23) but in terms of a percentage, Johnson’s success rate was slightly higher (42% to 39%).
Overall, it looks like Everton would have to approach this potential deal carefully. But if, as been reported, the transfer would not involve any additional money and is a straight exchange of the players, it could be well worth a gamble.
McNeil has just 12 months left on his contract and, given the Blues were willing to let him leave in January, he does not appear to be part of the club's long-term plans.
And while Johnson has had a tough time at Palace since signing from Tottenham, failing to score in 26 appearances for his new club, it was not too long ago the Wales international was commanding a £47.5m fee when he left Nottingham Forest three years ago.
Could David Moyes revive Johnson’s fortunes? We could be about to find out.
*Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising an industry leading 378 different parameters. Click here for more details.